New Continental is an online publication for the discussion and investigation of the American position in the Defense and Geostrategic domains. The publication aims to neither trivialize security issues nor copy other mainstream positions. The principal aim of the project is to reflect upon the publicly available data of the defense and diplomatic establishments, current academia, and historical scholarship to synthesize said information in order to derive concise answers on the following question areas, as they relate to American security, organized along ethical, geostrategic, legal and defense-theoretical lines:
- MACRO/ETHICAL
- Philosophical basis (analysis of) for strategic behavior (from body-political ontology to just war)
- Abstract sociological, power-political and legal analysis as they relate to the basis of American state legitimacy
- Civilizational and historic processes
- GEOSTRATEGIC
- Grand strategy; realist, civilizational and economic perspectives
- Regional geostrategic analysis, respective to the interest of various historic powers
- Geographic analysis
- Diplomacy, law and international order
- MILITARY
- Force posture, size and organization of land, air and sea units; relevance to geostrategic posture
- Officer corps personnel dynamics and quality maintenance; discipline and morale; civil-military relations properly examined
- General organizational analysis of the US security enterprise and its relationship to the branches of government; emphasis on the maintenance of legitimate sovereignty and the influence of external interests – network theory applicable
- Quality and relevance of US doctrine (review of published current doctrine, found-sources on competing doctrine and measurement against historical standards)
- Developments in weaponeering; relevance to technology to geostrategic imperatives; integration of such with doctrine, forces (training) and DIB State of DIB in America, Western states and its relationship to the general manufacturing economy; analysis of such in competing economies
- Strategic systems, purpose capabilities and developments C3I / C4ISR developments on the tactical and strategic levels; general trends in command and control.
The above broad topics are separated broadly into the three categories shown above, and all while highly technical on their own, must be understood in relation to each other. Since the state is a complex labyrinth, it is easy for various technical foci to overwhelm the technicians who wander learn to call these spaces ‘home’, left with only an acute awareness of their own domain. Tunnel-vision results and the mission in the macro becomes elusive, not only for the technician, but by consequence the politicians and entire People. A sense of positive spirit along with nuance must guide the comprehension of these subjects most vital to the organization we call ‘the state,’ and first and foremost all-encompassing comprehension is prerequisite to that.
Therefore, matters of philosophy are viewed with the same importance here as the area-penetrating utility of the B-21.
Particular technical tasks, as general processes of the firm, will include but are not limited to:
- Investigative analysis of DOD Reviews: QDR, NPR, BDMR, etc.
- Analysis and utilization of specific reports by the DOD, relevant US agencies, and established institutions.
- *Research of historical account. Combing through historical archives and conducting original research on such subjects (others will develop, but these are currently the main interests):
- Studies on officer corps quality with sourcing from General’s Marshall and Shaposhnikov on the importance of healthy ‘independent’ general staffs.
- The relevance of maneuver warfare in the 21st century; adaptations of fundamental tactics given new eras and technologies. Providing basis for the key claim that maneuver warfare is the ideal form of warfare and imperative for any Western state to pursue doctrinally.
- The role of delaying forces in combat, from the Russo-Finnish conflict to the Invasion of Iraq.
- Comparative analysis of current great power doctrines against each other, the historic record and objective present circumstances.
- The basis for ‘morale:’ A detailed study on the dynamics of a healthy officer corps (morale and technical) compared to historical precedent and informed by philosophy, psychology, sociology and political-science.
- An inquiry into the tension between the classically opposed diplomatic and militaristic problem-solving mentalities and the importance of the statesman to consider both equally.
- Review of US Army War College, NDU and West Point scholarship
This of course is a rough outline of our research tasks. More concrete products and information will be provided soon, along with the initial publications of the site. Expect this by about April 2nd 2025.